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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chest — a box
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chest — of your body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rest — a break
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. press — to push
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — what's left

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com